Assignment on Aristotle’s Six Parts of Tragedy
Name:-
Rajdip.P.Gohel
Roll. No:- 36
Paper
No:-3-Literary Theory and Criticism
Class:- M.A Sem-1
Topic:- Aristotle’s
Six Parts of Tragedy
Enrolment No:-
2069108420190017
College:-
Smt.S.B.Gardi Department Of English
Submitted:-
Department Of English M.K.University, Bhavnagar
Signature:-
· Introduction:-
Aristotle provides a definition of tragedy that we can break
up into seven parts: (1) it involves mimesis
(2) it is serious (3) the action is complete and with magnitude (4) it
is made up of language with the “aesthetic ornaments” of rhythm and harmony (5)
these “aesthetic ornaments” are not used uniformly throughout, but are
introduced in separate parts of the work, so that, for instance, some bits are
spoken in verse and other bits are sung (6) it is performed rather than
narrated (7) it arouses the emotions of pity and fear and accomplishes a
catharsis of these emotions.
Aristotle asserts that any tragedy
can be divided into six component parts, and that every tragedy is made up of
these six parts with nothing else besides. There is (1) the spectacle, which is
the overall visual appearance of the stage and the actors. The means of
imitation (language, rhythm, and harmony) can be divided into (2) melody/songs
(3) diction, (lexis) which has to do with the composition of the
verses/versification of dialogues. The agents of the action can be understood
in terms of (4) character (5) thought. Thought seems to denote the intellectual
qualities of an agent while character seems to denote the moral qualities of an
agent. Finally, there is (6) the plot, or mythos, which is the harmonious
combination/arrangements of incidents and action in the story.
· Plot:-
The plot is the most important of the six parts of tragedy.
Plot is the first principle the most important feature of tragedy-the soul of
tragedy. The plot must deal with an action incidents and situations that is
possible according to the laws of probability and necessity. Example like The
poet is not supposed to say what has actually happened, but he deals with what
may probably or necessarily happen under the given circumstances.
The must
be “a whole” with a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning called by modern
critics the incentive moment, must start the cause-and-effect chain but not
dependent on anything outside the compass of the play. The middle or climax
must be caused by earlier incidents and itself cause the incidents that follow
it. The end or resolution must be caused by the preceding events but not lead
to other incidents outside the compass of the play the end should there fore
solve or resolve the problem created during the incentive moment.
Aristotle
calls the cause-and-effect chain leading from the incentive moment to the
climax the tying up in modern terminology the complication.
· Character:-
Character has the second place in importance in a perfect
tragedy. Character will support the plot. Like (1) good or fine. It is relative to class: Even a
woman may be good and also a slave, though the woman may be said to be an
inferior being, and the slave quite worthless. (2) fitness of character
example: Mary Kom in the movie Priyanka was a boxer so now she trying to get
fit for the movie. (3) true to life – true to human nature. (4) consistency:
once a character’s personality and motivations are established these should
continue throughout the play. (5) necessary or probable: characters must be
logically constructed according to the law of probability or necessity that
governs the actions of the play.
Now one question
is What kind of character is tragic hero? His misfortune should follow from
some error or flaw of character, short of moral tiant. He must fall from height
of prosperity and glory. The protagonist should be renowned and prosperous, so
his change of fortune can be from good to bad. The fall of such a man of
eminence affects entire state/nation, heaven themselves blazon forth the death
of a king. We see one example to clarify this Oedipus Rex is the best example
to explain this he has a son of king and he find his father and mother and go
to the temple in road he see some men and start fight with them after that he leave
that place and this is the error of flow one man was there and see this all and
second is after king’s death he marry with queen who actually his real mother
this is good to bad. Like first he is good after that he kill king and marry his
mother this is flaw of good to bad.
· Thought:-
In importance thought is third, and is found where something
is proved “to be or not to be” or a general maxim is enunciated. Aristotle says
little about thought and most of what he has to say is associated with how
speeches should reveal character. However we may assume that this category
would also include what we call the themes of a play.
Now the
plot and characters are not important on their own account. Because there is
the central thought in the play. A play embodies the vision or the ideas of the
playwright. They are expressed through the characters and their speeches. It
must be noted that to ancient Greeks, literature e was good only if it taught
some moral truth. There were differences among them as to what was truth. But
there was unanimity in that the function of literature was to teach along with
pleasing. Now a days in modern cinema thought is more important than the
character because movie maker knows that thought is very important in the
movie. Some of the movie like love story comedy much more things are put in the
movie and there is no thought in the movie and people don’t like that and said
this is worst movie two important part we see that plot and character. You can
write a plot with some thoughts than character is play well and people like
that.
· Diction:-
Diction is fourth and is the expression of the meaning in
words which are proper and appropriate to the plot, characters, and end of the
tragedy. It is also the choice of words to embellish language with beautiful
ornaments.
In this fourth part
Aristotle discusses the stylistic elements of tragedy, he is particularly
interested in metaphors. But the greatest by far is to have a command of
metaphor.... it is the mark of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an
eye for resemblances. In the modern sense it means choice of words. He meant by
it use of various kinds of verses fit for evoking emotions which the poet
wanted to evoke. I think diction is the very important part because plot ready
with some thoughts but main work is express the plot with new meaning it is
like great plot and more great is diction.
· Melody/Songs:-
This is the fifth part, and is the musical element of the
chorus. Aristotle
argues that the Chorus should be fully integrated into the play like an actor,
choral odes/songs/ melodious lyrical dialogues should not be mere interludes,
but should contribute to the unity of the plot. It is in a sense a part of
diction itself because its purpose is also that of evoking and sometimes
intensifying the emotional pitch of the spectators.
Chorus odes/songs/melodious lyrical dialogues were singular feature of the Greek
tragedy. In fact they were a necessity too in the Greek technique of presentation
and in the Greek open air theatre. The Greeks did not have painted scenery nor
any other means of developing and maintaining the grip of interest over the
spectators. Like in today’s time song is very important in Bollywood but not in
Hollywood because Hollywood go with reality and thoughts there are no songs
because I think they see at melodrama side of songs, but in Bollywood songs
first come. If we see at the Greek in theatre than it is possible in the stage.
Another is poetry,
profoundly moving lyrical poetry was all they have to arrest the attention of
the audience. The song and dialogues sung out loud would pin the attention of
the spectators in the vast Greek theatre on the spectacle, spur their
imagination, sustain the illusion of reality and move them to tears and
transport.
· Spectacle:-
Spectacle is the last part for it is least connected with
literature, the production of spectacular effects depend more on the art of the
stage machinist than on that of the poet.it is the technique of presentation in
drama. It means that the medium of tragedy is dramatic action, it is not
narration. Tragedy is a matter of stage performance not of mere closet reading.
Although
Aristotle recognizes the emotional attraction of spectacle, he argues that
superior poets rely on the inner structure of the play rather than spectacle to
arouse pity and fear, those who rely heavily on spectacle create a sense not of
the terrible, but only of the monstrous. All this has been the discussion of
Aristotle’s concept of tragedy. But the points discussed here apply to the
representational literature in general. In every kind of representational
literature plot has its own important place, characters are bound to be there
though they may be of different type, it will have a definite central thought
expressed in appropriate diction and technique, finally it will have its own
end or purpose in place of catharsis. Similarly they have their own thought way
of presentation and spectacle.
· Conclusion:-
Aristotle asserts that any tragedy can be divided into six
parts and that every tragedy is made up of these six parts with nothing else
besides.
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